Will Rick Remender Ruin Venom?

I read this interview with Rick Remender a few weeks ago on Newsarama and I've been letting it stew in my head for awhile. Writer Remender and artist Tony Moore are bringing back Venom in an ongoing series in March. This will involve a new host for the symbiote, as Mac Gargan is going back to the old Scorpion look. The new hook will be Venom as a military black-ops specialist. I have mixed feelings about this announcement. I don't really have a problem with the idea itself, I had a similar idea a few years ago I never did anything with, but knowing the controversy surrounding Remender's run on Punisher I'm just not sure what to expect.

I've decided to break down the interview and hit the points of interest one at a time.

RR: I immediately started having all this imagery — there isn’t really a globetrotting character in the Marvel Universe right now. In terms of a character who could 007 it up...As soon as you hear the idea, you’re like, “That’s actually great. That’s a really great idea.” For this character, those guys nailed it, in terms of the way to deal with making him fresh and new and exciting, and still stay true to who the character is.

Like I said, I actually like the idea overall. The scary thing is "fresh and new and exciting" in Remender-speak may mean, oh, I don't know, turning the Punisher into a Frankenstein monster. I'm still cautiously optimistic.

Nrama: And obviously the identity of Venom’s new host is still a closely guarded secret at this point, but it is a character who is familiar to readers, right?

Remender: Yep. Familiar to readers, but somebody who's been prowling around the Spidey-verse for years and makes a lot of sense for the job.

I honestly have no idea who it could be. Does Spidey know any globe-trotting 007 types? I actually hope it is somebody we don't really know very well, or some random D-lister.

RR: "...Wow. I guess I have to sit down and remember what excited me about the character.”

I did the same thing with the Punisher. That first Punisher miniseries, the one Mike Zeck drew with [Steven] Grant, was such a big deal to me, I loved it so much when I was a kid, that when I took on the Punisher job, I had to sit down to remember, “Why? What did you love about it?” So I did that a lot with Venom.

Uh-oh. Now I get the red flags going up in my brain. I wonder how much of this is just interview BS, because if you have to sit and remember what it is that got you excited about characters you supposedly loved as a kid, maybe you shouldn't be writing them. And please, don't do the same thing as you did with the Punisher.

RR: I love monsters to begin with, and there’s sort of a Jekyl and Hyde aspect to Venom, and a number of other very interesting angles to the character.

No, the Eddie Brock Venom was not Jekyl and Hyde. The Hulk is Jekyl and Hyde. Venom is the story of Faust; the symbiote can give you great power, but will corrupt you over time. All the themes of temptation and revenge are there. Jekyl and Hyde is about the monster that's inside us, Venom is about making a deal with the devil. This is a big difference. Bonding with the symbiote is the deal you make, and eventually leads to being consumed by the symbiote. There is a definite outside force in the story of Venom.

RR: In the book that we’re doing, the military won’t let our host wear the suit for more than two days in a row. There’s all kinds of rules, because that thing bonds with you so quickly.

Why would these rules work? The symbiote is not dumb. Lest we forget Angelo Fortunato, who was abandoned mid-swing by the symbiote, and fell to his death. If the symbiote doesn't like the 'rules', wouldn't it just leave mid-mission?

You get the idea. Plus, Remender says early in the interview that Venom hadn't changed, then says he was always on board with the changes to the character, then says he wants to stay true to the character, then says he is going to do something unique, blah, blah, blah...

Let's face it, I'm going to read this. I like the overall concept and it doesn't seem as stupid as turning the Punisher into a Frankenstein monster. I want it to be good, but I'm also sad Marvel is giving up on the arc they had going with Gargan being absolutely terrified by the symbiote. I thought that still had potential.

I don't want to be That Guy. But I know what happened with Punisher, so just prove me wrong, Remender. I beg you.

Dr. Jeff Parker (Or How I Learned to Stop Hatin' and Love the Rulk)

What can I say? He did it. Jeff Parker, you magnificent bastard, I READ YOUR BOOK! (and liked it, too!)

A few months ago, Jeff Parker announced that he would be taking over the writing duties on Hulk, and he literally begged jaded Hulk fans to come back and read one issue, #25, and see if he couldn't change their minds. He even resorted to bribery. I bit. I like free stuff, and I love Parker's writing as of late (Atlas, Thunderbolts). I said to no one but myself, "You have ONE issue, Parker, to change my mind on Red Hulk!" If you know my short and sordid history with Rulky, you know that this was nigh an impossible task. The one character I hated in the Marvel U more than any other was Rulk. Jeph Loeb pranced him around like a four-year-old bully kicking down sandcastles.

I imagine that Parker got this. He seemed to understand the transgressions committed by this character and his creator. There was a checklist in my mind I was unaware of until I read Hulk #25, a checklist that subconsciously stored every sin I felt had been perpetrated by Red Hulk and Loeb. While reading the book, the items on list began to get checked off.

Rulk had an a-hole attitude, he was allowed (by Loeb) to run roughshod over Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, and others and they could barely put up a fight. It reminded me of two kids playing, one saying "A-ha! I got you!" and the other responding annoyingly, "Nuh-uh, I'm invincible!" Nobody likes that kid. And that is what Loeb was doing.

In one issue, Jeff Parker redeemed the sins of Red Hulk and Loeb by recognizing this subliminal checklist and hitting it item by item. And in return I added Hulk to my pull list to ride this out and see where Parker can take this character, now that he is no longer a spoiled brat, and is being to forced to clean up the mess he made. It is just too bad that Parker has to be the one cleaning up, as if Loeb was a bad dog who messed on Marvel's carpet.

The promise of Thor teeing off on Rulk's head doesn't hurt either.

Seriously, if you are a Hulk fan, and hated the Red Hulk stuff, give this book a try. I was surprised how much I liked it. Even the back-up story with A-bomb was fun.

Thank you, Jeff Parker! You get it.

Star Wars chalk mural, Walking Dead, Calvin and Hobbes

Just some cool things I thought I would link to for you all to see.

Chalk mural artist, former co-worker of mine, and all around cool guy Eric Maruscak did another great piece for the Star Wars Celebration. Check out a time lapse video right here:

and go to his website for more cool stuff.

The trailer for The Walking Dead TV show coming to AMC was officially released, and it looks awesome. If you like zombies, this show is gonna be sweet. The comic is great, and this adaptation looks to be quite faithful to the source material. CHECK IT!

Also saw this sweet comic by Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo which is Lex Luthor and the Joker done in the style of a Sunday Calvin & Hobbes strip. So cool!

Doesn't it make you miss Bill Watterson's masterpiece?

Sad but True: Scott Pilgrim a Bob-omb

This article about Scott Pilgrim vs. The World as 'box office bob-omb' should be labeled sad but true. I truly loved this movie, I thought it was fantastically original and creative. But ultimately it seems to have failed to find an audience.

I went to see it on the Saturday night the weekend it opened, and even though I live in tragically un-hip Casper, Wyoming, there were only seven other people in the theater with me. I was shocked. After seeing the movie and reading about its poor opening weekend, I became dismayed.

I was able to convince a co-worker to go see it the following weekend, and he loved it as well. I was shocked again when another co-worker (who usually is pretty savvy on cool movies) expressed no interest in seeing it. These are guys that make appointments to see good cinema, and it was registering zero on their radar. The term 'word-of-mouth' doesn't go far enough, this is more of a case of 'evangelism'. Mere recommendations are falling short, no less than total conversion of the uninitiated is required.

The article from cinemablend.com linked to above explains in detail how Scott Pilgrim's audience is hard to pin down. It's true, I can't fathom my parents liking this movie. I am most likely right in the wheelhouse of the intended demographic (late twenty early thirty-somethings that like music and classic videogames) and maybe that is skewing my view of it.

Ultimately, I think if given the chance, this movie will appeal to a wider range of audience than it has so far in the theater. Look for this to be a big time seller when it hits DVD and Blu-ray.

Could Scott Pilgrim be this generation's Rocky Horror Picture Show? This is Spinal Tap? Shawshank Redemption?

Marvel's Chaos War event sure to get a rise out of you

The promos I'm seeing for Marvel's upcoming Chaos War have perked up my little ears and are making me take notice. The talent and the titles that are coming forth for this event are really exciting. Of course, Hulk, Thor, and others will be tied into this event, but its the resurrected characters that are making me sit up.

Ares is coming back in a one shot. Hercules will make a return. The Dead Avengers looks cool, especially with what looks like the original Vision, Swordsman, and Captain Marvel. And, the coup de grace in my opinion, flippin' ALPHA FLIGHT! Woot!

Is this a cheap knock-off of DC's Blackest Night event? I guess time will tell, but Blackest Night didn't have Vision and Alpha Flight.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is a great movie

I saw Scott Pilgrim vs. The World last night, and I have to say it is one of the most original and entertaining movies I've seen in a long time. Coming into the movie I had only read the first volume of the comic (a problem I 'll soon rectify for sure) and I felt it adapted the comic to film better than any movie save perhaps Sin City.

I couldn't help but be reminded of Sin City while watching Scott Pilgrim, even though they are, thematically at least, completely different movies. Having only read Vol. 1 of Scott Pilgrim and The Hard Goodbye from Sin City, my references may be limited, but I think enough that I can make this comparison.

If you remember back to Sin City, the graphic novel(s) of hard boiled crime-noir, the movie took that premise and ran with it, Robert Rodriguez fully embraced the genre of both noir and comic adaptation, fusing the two into a visually stunning piece that felt like a living breathing comic book by Frank Miller. Groundbreaking at the time and copied to varying degrees of success (300, Watchmen). Scott Pilgrim has a similar formula, a graphic novel of comedy/romance and video game tropes, the movie also fully embraces the source material and fuses them into what a romantic comedy video game might be, brought to life on screen deftly and with a total comprehension by Edgar Wright.

Neither movie pulls back for a second to either pander to a common denominator, or explain ham-fistedly why you are seeing these things in a type of hyper-realism. They both know exactly what they are and what they hope to accomplish, and they both expect the viewer to keep up.

This was the one criticism I had of Inception, my other favorite movie of the year and also an excellent film, was that it seemed to not trust the audience enough to keep up, and thus endless explanations of where the characters were and what was happening throughout kept me somewhat disengaged from the movie at times. Sin City and Scott Pilgrim put you into their unique worlds and keep you there as a citizen under their own rules of reality.

One beef I have after seeing Scott Pilgrim that actually has nothing to do with the movie itself, was Brandon Routh appeared in the movie for a total of about ten minutes and engages in more action than in the entirety of Superman Returns, and shame on you Brian Singer for wasting that opportunity.

Avengers teaser trailer

Not terribly exciting, as we all know how to spell "Avengers" but here it is anyway.

http://io9.com/5604936/comic-cons-avengers-teaser-trailer-assembles

Hulk-mania! Jeff Parker is cool and so is Hulkington Post

Just some updates I wanted to share:

Cool new site for fans of the Hulk, The Hulkington Post. You should check them out, if only because they have a cool name. You can (and should) also follow them on Twitter @HulkingtonPost. It looks like they are just getting started, so help 'em out!

In other Hulk news, Jeff Parker will be taking over writing duties on Hulk with number 25. Perhaps you recall (probably not) my infuriation at the direction the title took, dragging on and on with the Red Hulk crap. I dropped the title around #8 or so in disgust. Well, Parker, the writer of some great and current ongoing series at Marvel, announced on his blog that the first 75 people who emailed him promising to try Hulk #25 he would send a signed comic. He wanted a chance to convince people to read Hulk again and what can I say, I like free stuff. I especially like Parker's work on Thunderbolts and Atlas. I received a signed copy of World War Hulks: Classified #1 and true to my word, I ordered up a copy of Hulk #25.

The word must have gotten out that Loeb's run on Hulk and the whole Red Hulk thing were not that popular. Parker has one issue to convince me, and if anyone can do it, it's him.

Batman Beyond!

I just finished reading Superman/Batman Annual #4. This story takes place in the Batman Beyond universe and picks up right where the animated series left off.

It is a superbly written comic by Paul Levitz that explores what happened to Superman and Metropolis after he was released from Starro's control. If you were a fan of the animated series, this comic cranks it up a notch. The story is as dark as the show was, and hits all the right notes to expand on that established universe.
It is really more a story about the Superman of that world, and after being under the control of Starro for so long, and then disappearing, what effect his absence has had on Metropolis. This issue leads into the Batman Beyond mini-series that is coming out soon.

As a fan myself, I am very encouraged by this issue. I want to see more of the Batman Beyond world in comics. It really works here, and I'm excited for more.

Best panel of the comic:

Avengers movie line-up?

Over at i09, this poster made a movie poster depicting what we already know about the upcoming Avengers movie. Could this be our Avengers line-up?

Here is the link.

And here is the picture:
There are also rumors of casting Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye, but if the comments of the rumored actor are true, I want no part of the Ultimate Hawkeye. I demand purple tights and a bow and arrow!!!

Here are links to the concept art for Captain America's movie costume and Thor's full costume. I hope they are planning a little more variety on Thor from the waist down, and a winged helmet. PLEASE let there be a winged helmet!

Spoiler-ific Capsule Reviews

This week I got some comics, B.P.R.D. : King of Fear #5, Hellboy in Mexico one-shot, Astonishing X-Men: Xenogenesis #1, Dark Avengers #16, Siege #4, The Return of Bruce Wayne #1, and Thor and the Warriors Four #2. I will warn you, I am going to review each one with no regard for spoilering them, so proceed with caution!
Here we go!





Astonishing X-Men: Xenogenesis #1When I saw the solicit for this mini-series, I thought, "Written by Warren Ellis and drawn by Kaare Andrews!? SOLD!" After I read it, I was left scratching my head and turning up my lip...egh. I thought Andrews work on Spider-Man: Reign was fantastic, but I'm not sure what happened here. Emma Frost looks like a blonde sack of potatoes. And the fact that the X-Men spend half the book arguing about African politics just doesn't interest me. I don't usually drop a book after one issue, but in this case I'll make an exception.


B.P.R.D. : King of Fear #5
This series was advertised as the end of the so called "War on Frogs" and it ends with a bang. I have to admit that I am not completely caught up on the Hellboy universe, and I only started this series because Lobster Johnson was in the beginning, but this issue brings some big changes to the world and the nature of the B.P.R.D., who are now under the control of the U.N. And I'm not sure what is going on with Abe, but I hope the next mini Abe Sapien: The Abyssal Plane sheds some light on his new direction. Good stuff, but I wouldn't recommend reading it with out being somewhat up to speed. Oh, and I don't know who the tea drinking robot in the Jules Verne style submarine is, but I heartily approve!



Dark Avengers #16 & Seige #4

I'm gonna hit these both together. Let me say that I was on board after "Secret Invasion" wrapped up with the Dark Avengers (though I wished they had just stayed Thunderbolts, I thought that was working great) and I was interested to see where it was all headed. Now, I'll say that I am SO GLAD this CRAP IS FINALLY OVER! About halfway through this arc I became completely fed up with Norman Osborn. And joy of joys, Sentry is dead! This character has held the Marvel universe hostage for far too long, and except for the truly awesome Age of The Sentry, I hope we can all just pretend he never existed. Steve Rodgers in back, basically as the new Nick Fury, and Thor has a big mess to clean up. Lets move on and be glad this little episode is behind us.

Thor and The Warriors Four #2
I am digging this series. It is fun and awesome. I don't care what you think about Power Pack. Beta Ray Bill shows up for this one, which is great, and has to continually assert that he is NOT a horse, or a 'Thorse' for that matter (half Thor, half horse!). Sure it is silly, but I recommend it. And the cover is hilarious!


The Return of Bruce Wayne #1

One word: Awesome!

Hellboy in Mexico

Two words: Totally awesome!

Robot 13: The best comic you aren't reading

I don't remember specifically how I stumbled upon Robot 13, but I am sure glad that I did. I took a chance on this quirky looking series and was richly rewarded.

In three issues, creators Thomas Hall (writer) and Daniel Bradford (art) of Blacklist Studios have managed to introduce one of the most unique and interesting characters in comics since Hellboy. The comparisons to Hellboy don't stop stop there either, (and that isn't a bad thing) but while the art and feel can seem Mignola-esque, this isn't a one note rip-off.
Book 1, Colossus!, which is comprised of three issues, has managed to set up an intriguing world that blends myth and reality. The true genius of the book is that the world, while still mysterious in it's true nature, is already rich with details that set it apart from any other setting we've seen. And that all of this has been done with epic fight scenes and relatively sparse dialogue is truly astounding. This is visual storytelling at its best.
When we first meet our hero, Robot 13, he is introduced by immediately leaping into battle worthy of Clash of the Titans (the original). We soon find out he is suffering from amnesia, and being a skull in a robot suit doesn't really lend itself to easy explanations.

The series has successfully combined big time action, mystery, humor, science fiction and Greek mythology to weave quite a tapestry of an epic tale. Robot 13 is what a good comic should be, and you should stop reading my review of it go out and read it.

Namor comes back an X-Man

Good news, everybody! Namor is coming back in his own series! Yay! And it will be closely tied to the X-Men and their battle against underwater vampires...wait, what? Marvel announced the new Namor: The First Mutant #1, and the description is just plain stupid if you ask me.

First off, I don't care that Namor helped out the X-Men in Dark X-Men, Namor is not an X-Man. Technically, he isn't the first mutant either, but I guess calling the book Namor: A Really Old Mutant #1 doesn't have that catchy ring to it. Secondly, what happened to :The Sub-Mariner? And third, since when do the X-Men fight vampires? (oh, right, since Twilight ruined everything)

Bad form, Joe Q. This could have been cool. At least we know it will be cancelled after 6-12 issues anyway.

Sif one-shot is good, not great

Read the Sif one-shot this week. Good solid effort on both writing and art by Kelly Sue Deconnick and Ryan Stegman respectively. It is completely ok, not mind blowing. Honestly, with an appearance by Beta Ray Bill and the title being Sif, I expected much more butt-kicking. And there is some, but I was expecting full bore face-kicking action. Then there is the situation where Sif gets to meet Bill's new squeeze, which could have been much more awkward, interesting, character developing, but instead is quickly brushed aside to get to the plot. In fact, having Sif say the word 'awkward', doesn't make it so.
And then there is the stock plot, interesting but underdeveloped villain, and basically a lack of epic-ness. And really, that is what I was expecting, and maybe that is my fault for demanding so much from this one-shot.

Wow! This blog is still on!? - Hellboy thoughts.

Hello again! I'll dispense with the usual excuses as to why I haven't posted in, like, forever. Just know that I got a new job and that's taking up most of my time that isn't also filled with baseball and Netflix.

Anyway, here we go.

I am slowly catching up on Hellboy via the trades. Most recently I finished Book 6, "Strange Places" and I was reminded once again just how good Hellboy is.

Let's compare Hellboy to a standard story by the Big Two. There is almost no comparison. As I was reading somewhere (I think in an interview with Mignola) the Big Two offer the illusion of change. It happens every month. Plastered on the cover of Brightest Seige: Frontlines: The Return (or whatever) are scrawled the words "Nothing will ever be same again!" Except it always is the same again. Batman or Captain America 'die' for awhile, but then they get better.

In Hellboy, as far as I have read (no spoilers please) Professor Bruttenholm dies, and stays dead. Roger the Homunculus sacrifices himself and it actually means something. It haunts the characters years later. Hellboy discovers more and more about who he is on his journey, and we feel that it has weight, that it is all leading to something. Real change and growth in characters as the status quo is allowed to shift.

This may mean that at some point the story may come to an end, but I'm ok with that. Ultimately, at the end, I think it will all feel more rewarding.

icon

Why, Marvel, why?

With all the news coming out about the Avengers relaunch, I assumed we would get one new consolidated Avengers title, and for that matter, one team. Then Marvel announced Secret Avengers, and they have yet to name the team members. OK, I get it. I guess. Get your mainstream team and then have a quirky "B-team" to play with and explore the darker or stranger corners of the Marvel Universe. But now, you've gone too far.
Marvel is also releasing a New Avengers title, which so far contains all the old "New Avengers", or as I like to call it, "everything that is wrong about the Avengers, Avengers." Why? Do people really want Spider-man and Wolverine on an Avengers team? I sure don't. Here I thought finally, we can return to some normalcy in the Avengers world. And what is the point of relaunching New Avengers with a new #1?
I say forget this. I'm still going to read Avengers #1. But I am officially fed up with Brian Michael Bendis now. Give me one, unified Avengers team and call it a day. WOLVERINE IS NOT AN AVENGER!

Thor is Officially an Avenger, Plus Secret Avengers and New Thunderbolts

Thor was announced as a member of the upcoming Avengers team ( I am avoiding calling them the New Avengers, since we've been there, done that...) which means this is looking more and more like a classic line-up. I am very glad they are going this direction, as the multiple iterations of the Avengers (each with their own Wolverine, it seems) were wearing thin on me.


Marvel is also coming out with a second Avengers title, Secret Avengers, written by Ed Brubaker, but so far no official word on who will be on that team. The teaser images suggests Gorilla-man and maybe Doctor Strange, and if that is case, count me in.
I am also optimistic about the post-Siege Thunderbolts line-up as written by Jeff Parker. The new team is led by Luke Cage, and includes Juggernaut, Ghost (my favorite from the current crappy line-up), Moonstone, Crossbones, and the coup de grace: Man-Thing. The title will go back to the series roots and be more about the reformation of villains under Cage's leadership. This story starts in issue #144 and is the first issue I am actually looking forward to since Warren Ellis left the book.

A Heroclix Named Desire

It is OK to want:

Heroclix announced their new Blackest Night starter set for 2010. Other figures in the set are Hal Jordan Green Lantern, Lex Luthor, Mera, The Flash, Wonder Woman, and The Atom, all in their appropriate lantern colors.

The NEW Old (New?) Avengers!

As you may or may not know, after the events of Siege wrap up the current myriad of Avengers titles will axed. Dark, New, Mighty, Initiative; they will all be finished to make way for an Avengers reboot, as well as a new attitude in the major titles at Marvel dubbed "The Heroic Age." Marvel has slowly been revealing the Avengers line-up for the relaunch, and so far I like it. Here is the link to Newsarama detailing the roster so far.

Tony Stark: Iron Man!

Finally, Clint Barton back in the purple Hawkeye costume.
Looks like the Bucky Cap. I am ok with this, I'm just wondering what is going to happen to Steve Rogers.
Spider-Woman.
So far, so good. Rumor has it that Thor is also going to be on this team. I am looking forward to the new #1 issue.

What Could Have Been

If you needed more proof that we indeed are not living in the best possible of worlds, animation director and storyboard artist Steven E. Gordon told Marvel Animation Age (as reported by MTV's Splash Page), that there was maybe going to be, but now definitely won't be a Beta Ray Bill animated movie:

“The DVD was going to be done like they did the 'Hulk Vs.' DVD where half would be devoted to the ‘Ultimate War’and the other half was planned to be a ‘Thor’ story,” continued Gordon. “At one point the ‘Thor’ story they intended on adapting was Beta Ray Bill, but I believe they dropped that after some exploration. We never got too far on finding a look for the Thor adventure.”

Argh! So close. This news begs the question: is it better to know the miserable truth, or live in ignorant bliss? I blame Steven E. Gordon for not fighting hard enough to get us a Beta Ray Bill animated feature. And there is your non-news of the day.

Beta Ray Bill appears in Planet Hulk movie!

According to reviews I have read, Beta Ray Bill makes an appearance in the new Planet Hulk movie due out on DVD on Feb. 2! Apparently, Bill is replacing Silver Surfer's role from the original story, which isn't a large role, but an important one. And it is always nice to get some more animated Beta Ray Bill, since all we have up to this point is an episode of the 90's Silver Surfer cartoon, in which the Korbinites are depicted as weaklings trapped in an illusion of gladiatorial combat. (with Scottish accents?) I am now more excited about this release than I was, and I was pretty excited before.

A Cheery February

There is some cool stuff coming down the pipe, and frankly, I can't wait! Those long, excruciating weeks between the Super Bowl and the beginning of the baseball season needs to be filled with something, lest you are driven into the depths of depression and despair by winter's icy grip, and this year we are extra lucky. In February we get the Winter Olympics, complete with hockey and curling, two of my personal favorites, as well as the animated feature Planet Hulk on DVD Feb. 2.

Plus, on Feb. 23, we get Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths DVD from Bruce Timm, which looks fantastic.

(By the way, Mark Harmon of NCIS fame will be voicing Superman in that one!)

These bits of animated goodness should be able to get me through the winter, and tide me over until the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament starts in March.

So rejoice, for this is a rare February that won't feel like it is actually longer than its total 28 days suggest. Just try not to get stuck in a loop on Groundhog's Day to make up for your life's moral failings and everything will work out just fine.

Sif mini-series to contain Beta Ray Bill, awesomeness

That's right, there is a Sif mini-series due out in March from writer Kelly Sue DeConnick and artist Ryan Stegman. Thor's Asgardian girlfriend gets to go on her own head-busting solo adventure, and the best part is that none other than Beta Ray Bill makes a showing as well. I can't wait for this series, as Sif will have a serious chip on her shoulder for Loki who had been hijacking her body for quite awhile leading up to the current Siege event. If you don't know, Sif and Beta Ray Bill have a bit of romantic history as well, from way back during Walter Simonson's epic run on Thor, and I'm guessing that issue will be dealt with as well. I wonder if Bill's new Korbinite girlfriend will play a part in this saga? I can't wait to find out!

S.W.O.R.D. over in five

Straight from the blog of Kieron Gillen himself, Marvel has officially canceled S.W.O.R.D. after 5 issues. I am, of course, saddened by this news, as I was enjoying the title very much. This news is made worse by the timing, basically cutting off the series before it even has a chance to get going. Perhaps there wasn't enough Wolverine in the series...


It is a shame, as there aren't enough really unique comics like this one out there (at least not at the Big Two) I hope in the future, Marvel can at least bring these characters back for another round, be it mini-series or some other format.

Excuses, excuses...

So far the New Year is not looking promising for the Beta Ray Blog. Came back from a trip back east to see the family for the holidays, and returned to NO comics. Then the hard drive on my main machine turned itself into a poorly shaped hockey puck. So, no comic reviews for the foreseeable future. Once I get some comics in hand, I'll do a big multi-title story arc review of the past few months, as there have been some interesting events leading up to the coming Seige, as well as my enjoyment of Gotham City Sirens for the most part.

So there will be reviews and content in the future, but right now all I can offer you is empty promises and excuses, so take that as you will. In the meantime, look at this cool picture of the Spider-man lamp I got for my birthday:Cool.